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Bob Pyle '83,
Business Administration
Hometown: Green Bay
President and CEO, Pioneer Metal Finishing
Family: Wife Jean '84 (business administration),
and daughters Shannon (12) and Kristin (15)

Bob Pyle:
'UWGB is a tremendous source of talent'
Bob Pyle and his company, Pioneer Metal Finishing, take an understated approach to business. The privately held, little-publicized company headquartered in Green Bay quietly employs 700 people and reached $55 million in sales last year.
    With operations in Monroe, Mich., Minneapolis and Portland, and further expansion on the way, Pioneer and Pyle won’t remain under the radar for long. The company takes high-quality products and makes them better by providing a corrosion and wear-resistance finish. It’s a value-added service that clients such as Boeing, Honeywell, Trek, Master Lock, Callaway and “the big three” — Ford, GM and Chrysler — along with Toyota, demand.
    “We’re growing and expanding our services,” Pyle said. “We plan to add more divisions along with new finishes in the future. But don’t expect a big announcement when an acquisition occurs.”
    Instead, the company has quietly increased sales and is gradually building its portfolio over time, much like its leader.
    Pyle joined the company in 1998 after a career with KI that progressed from market research manager to sales representative to business unit manager and vice president of systems divisions. He left that company for an “entrepreneurial adventure,” joining Pioneer as vice president of sales and marketing. He was promoted in 2000 to executive vice president and took over as president in 2003.
    Prior to KI, and fresh out of the UW-Green Bay business program, he left the community to work for Household International.
    A number cruncher earlier in his career, he has since come to think of himself as a people person as well.
    “I think early in my career, I was very analytical in my approach,” he said. “Now I enjoy coaching and working with our people and seeing them become successful. My role as president allows me to play to my strength in leadership and professional development. That’s what I really enjoy.”
    Pyle started his undergraduate career at Regis College in Denver but transferred back to his hometown university, a move he hasn’t regretted.
    “When I transferred to Green Bay I did it for personal reasons and the biggest thing that I want people to know is how valuable it was getting my business degree. The education I received was far greater than I imagined. People think they sometimes need to go to big-name schools, but Green Bay prepared me well.”
    “Like many Green Bay grads, I was looking to move to a big city,” he says. “Ironically, we find our way back to Green Bay to start families and eventually become leaders in the community. Through the years, I’ve grown a sense of responsibility to this community.”
He’s a team player:
UW-Green Bay golf teammates Bill Lindmark (now the Phoenix coach) and Mark King (president and CEO of TaylorMade-adidas) were seniors the year Pyle transferred home and played for the Phoenix. “They were already great players and motivated me to get better. The camaraderie and the challenge of playing against guys like that made me better. I tried to play a similar leadership role during my final years by helping some of the younger players.”
Advice for his alma mater:
“I have met on a number of occasions with Chancellor Shepard and Steve Swan and I like the connectedness they are building among the Northeastern Wisconsin business community. UWGB is a tremendous source of talent when it comes to employees. By gaining more exposure to the students and students to the local business community, we have a greater likelihood to keep our talent in our community. Many of the people that I know that have graduated from UW-Green Bay are pretty unique people with a strong sense of community.”

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